Make your own Meritage

At one Portland wine shop, the best bottle just might be your
custom blend

The last time I conducted experiments using beakers was in
third-period high school chemistry class. A recent visit to Urban
Wineworks in northwest Portland took me back to those vanished days
- though this grown-up chemistry lesson yielded far more enjoyable
results than anything I ever did for Mr. Campbell. Part wine
appreciation and part science experiment, weekly workshops at this
winery and tasting room make for tasty lab work indeed, as you use
a kit to mix, measure, and sip your way to your own ideal
blend.

The kits help to demystify wine too. "Historically, wine has
been so inaccessible," says Reuel Fish, one of the owners of
Wineworks and also a principal of Bishop Creek Cellars in Yamhill
County, just south of Portland. "The blending kit idea is about
education. It gives us a chance to offer something different while
giving customers a firsthand experience with winemaking."

Becoming a master mixer

You can show up at Wineworks anytime and order a blending kit
for a do-it-yourself experience, but you'll probably have the most
fun at Tuesday-night workshops. These classes, which are usually
led by assistant winemaker Michelle Franklin, offer step-by-step
guidance, plus the chance to share notes and tastes with fellow
classmates.

You start out with three short beakers, each with 100 ml. (about
3 1/2 oz.) of a different varietal. A tall, graduated measure
serves as your blending vessel, and three glasses allow you to
taste a few concoctions side by side. Franklin encourages you to
begin by tasting the three blending wines separately, making note
of their distinctive flavors - fruity, earthy, floral, spicy - as
well as tannin levels, aftertaste, and so on. Next, you play the
wines off each other in 50/50 blends.

From there, it's up to you. Mix the wines in various proportions
to compare and contrast, playing winemaker to suit just one palate:
yours. You can even share your private cuvée with family and
friends by taking home a bottle.

Urban Wineworks is worth a visit for other reasons as well. The
converted building, once home to Portland Tool & Supply, now
sports flooring milled from salvaged barrel staves. And its walls
are lined with barrels, many of which are capped with original
artwork by local artists (special tastings on the first Thursday of
every month feature the unveiling of a new painted barrel).

In addition, customers can purchase a diverse collection of
boutique Oregon wines - from wineries such as Bishop Creek Cellars,
Andrew Rich Winery, and Brooks Winery - seldom available in retail
stores.